March 12, 2020 - ChaddsFordLive.com

COVID partially suspends REAL ID in Pa

PennDOT has decided to temporarily suspend issuing REAL ID drivers’ licenses and photo ID cards at all of its locations in eight counties. All five Philadelphia area counties — including Chester and Delaware — as well as Berks, Lancaster and Lehigh counties are involved until March 28 at the earliest, according to a press release.

All other services will be available in those counties except for Montgomery, which has the highest number of reported COVID-19 cases.

“All Driver License Centers and Photo License Centers in Montgomery County will be closed for two weeks effective at the close of business on Thursday, March 12,” the press release said.

The following locations will be closed and reopen no sooner than Friday, March 27:

King of Prussia Driver License and REAL ID Center, 143 S Gulph Rd, King of Prussia;
Norristown Driver License and REAL ID Center, 1700 Markley St, Norristown;
Huntingdon Valley Driver License and REAL ID Center, 2022 County Line Rd, Huntingdon Valley;
Harleysville Photo License Center, 345 Main St, Harleysville;
Ardmore Photo License Center, 30 Greenfield Ave, Ardmore; and
Pottstown Photo License Center, 978 E High St, Pottstown.

The action is in response to Gov. Tom Wolf’s recommendations to mitigate exposure to the virus.

Customers may complete various transactions and access multiple resources via www.dmv.pa.gov.

“Driver and vehicle online services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include driver’s license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; ability to pay driver license or vehicle insurance restoration fee; driver license and photo ID duplicates; and driver exam scheduling. There are no additional fees for using online services,” the release said.

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Barbara Kathy Giza of Chadds Ford

Obituaries

Barbara Kathy Giza, 69, died Friday, March 6, at her home in Chadds Ford in the loving company of family and friends.

Barbara was born in Jamaica, N.Y. to Martha and Thaddeus Giza. Her family soon moved to New Canaan, Conn., where she grew up. Barbara attended Ithaca College as an undergraduate and received her master’s and a doctorate in neuroscience from the Department of Psychology at the University of Delaware. Barbara had a successful career in Neuroscience as both an author to more than 30 scientific papers exploring the sensory neurophysiology of taste and a professor in the psychology departments of the University of Delaware and West Chester University.

Teaching was a source of joy for Barbara. She derived great satisfaction from seeing her students succeed. She was honored to receive numerous teaching awards throughout her career and cherished the many letters that students sent describing the impact she made on their lives.

Barbara loved skiing in the winter and the shore in the summer. She enjoyed sharing her love of food with friends and family. She was a devoted mother to her children never missing a game, recital, or other activity. Barbara was the type of person who you wanted in your corner particularly through hard times, when her keen intellect, creativity, and unshakable faith were sure to guide all those around her. Her memory lasts as the epitome of unconditional love, generosity, and compassion for her fellow man and woman.

Barbara is survived by her husband of 36 years, David Sisson, and her four children, Brendan along with his wife Rachel, Olivia, Martha and Warren Giza-Sisson and two grandchildren, Brendan’s and Rachel’s son, Mason Giza-Sisson, and Martha’s daughter, Sofia Reyes.

You are invited to visit Barbara’s family and friends at Kuzo Funeral Home, 250 West State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348 between 5 and 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 14. A private memorial service will follow.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, in memory of Barbara.

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Otto’s looks to CF for parking

Local News Chadds Ford, Local News

Otto’s BMW of West Chester is looking to park some cars in Chadds Ford Township. The dealership wants to use the Watkins property at 1516 Wilmington Pike, the location of the Brinton Motel, for inventory parking but needs a text change in the zoning code to do that.

Michael Vadasz, who operates Otto’s, which is actually in Birmingham Township, said his current location site is too small to handle the inventory. The proposed Chadds Ford location would be used for parking only, with no maintenance work or sales. At most, he said, there would be some minor detailing getting the cars ready for auction in Lancaster County.

The current hotel on the 4-acre site would be demolished and a new building would be constructed. That new building will be one-story, no more than 40 feet high, according to attorney Brian Nagle, and roughly 18,685 square feet. It will handle 288 cars parked four-high on stackers. There will be another 82 parking spaces outside, used primarily by employees who would use a shuttle bus to and from the dealership further north on Route 202.

Chadds Ford Planning Commission Chairman Craig Huffman said there would be no public interaction on-site and referred to the idea as “a warehouse for cars.”

To make this happen in Chadds Ford, Otto’s needs a text change in the zoning code to allow for private parking for a dealership in the PBC Zoning District, and the applicant would need to go through the conditional use process.

Township and Planning Commission solicitor Michael Maddren said he would work on the wording. Otto’s will go back to the commission in April.

Other business

The commission also heard an application for a nine-lot subdivision of the 33-acre Danbro property at Ridge and Ring roads. Eight new homes are proposed on 2-acre lots while the existing home would be on 10 acres.

More planning is still required. Specifically, a landscape plan still needs to be proposed, and there is a question of whether or not deed-restricting the larger lot against further subdivision would offset the need to provide open space or for the developer to pay a fee in lieu of that open space.

That applicant, too, will need to go back to the Planning Commission before that body can give a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

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Around Town March 12

Along the Ford

Newlin-Archeology — Become an archeologist for the day at Newline Grist Mill on Saturday, March 21.

• The Chester County Art Association’s next business of art lecture is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17. The cost is $20. Grab your notebooks and join us for the next installment of our Business of Art lecture with Jeff Schaller and guest speaker Jessica David. Learn about how to create/manage your e-communications and social media for self-marketing. This lecture is at our West Chester facility and begins at 6:30 pm. Register here.

• Newlin Grist Mill hosts five public archeology days this year with the first one being Saturday, March 21. The archaeology program at Newlin Grist Mill seeks to evaluate archaeological resources and explore research questions concerning the development of the Newlin Grist Mill historic site while enhancing public knowledge and providing opportunities for the public to participate in the archeological process. Excavations are conducted under the leadership of resident archaeologist Keith Doms with assistance from members of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology and volunteers from the community. The project is bringing to light new evidence that reshapes earlier perceptions. For more information about the archaeology program at Newlin Grist Mill, visit Newlin’s website here.

• Kendal-Crosslands Communities is a sponsor of the Center for Contemplative Studies at West Chester University’s ongoing lecture series that explores the power of mindful living. The next lecture in the series about Neuroscience and Consciousness features Dr. Eben Alexander and Karen Newell The lecture will take place from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 27 at the Philips Autograph Library on the West Chester University Campus, 700 S. High Street, West Chester PA 19383. Tickets can be purchased for $20 by clicking here. The sound exploration workshop will take place at the same location from 9 am – 12 noon on Saturday, March 28. Tickets for the workshop are also $20. A discount is available for combined tickets for the evening lecture and morning workshop for $30 and can also be purchased by clicking here and choosing that option.

• The Chester County Intermediate Unit is gearing up for its Chester County High School Art Festival & Congressional Art Show scheduled for April 6-18. The artwork is also submitted for Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan’s Congressional Art Competition, and the winner from the 6th congressional district will have their work displayed for a year in the local offices, Harrisburg, and Washington. DC. Chester County Art Association will host an awards reception from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15. Eighteen schools will be represented, including Unionville High School.

• The 78^th Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point is Sunday, April 5 at the Myrick Conservation Center on Wawaset Road. Gates open at 11 a.m. and the first race is at noon. Proceeds benefit the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance’s environmental education and watershed conservation programs. Admission is by the carload and parking costs start at $20. For more information, go here.

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